~ Seasonal fragrance and flavour from my country kitchens in England and France....celebrating local seasonal produce with traditional feasts and festivals, culinary notes, reviews, recipes and musings from home and abroad....whilst preparing family food with flair ~

On the Spice Trail:

Moroccan Harissa and Chickpea Potage Recipe

(5:2 Diet)

If my regular readers have noticed a lack of 5:3 diet recipes being posted lately, than they will be right in their assumptions; however, I have not abandoned the diet, on the contrary, I am still following it with great success, it’s just that I have just been sharing more “calorific” recipes lately. So, today is a day for dietary reflection and I am therefore sharing one of my latest 5:2 diet recipes ideas for a comforting and yet strangely light and refreshing soup – Moroccan Harissa and Chickpea Potage. This soup-cum-stew is vegetarian and only has 145 calories per generous bowl, when served sans flat breads that is!

Moreover, this is an easy recipe to make and on a non-fast day (a non diet day) you can of course enjoy a bowl of this spicy potage with flatbreads (or pitta breads) as we did the other day. It’s vegetarian, but I always find that when pulses, grains and beans are added to soups and stews, they add a lot of “meaty” body, as well as essential vitamins and protein. That makes this soup more of a stew in my opinion, and all the better for it as it fills you up with a minimum of calories.

Apart from the fresh vegetables and chickpeas, the star of the show for me was the addition of the Harissa spice mix; I was sent a selection of Bart’s new Discovery Spices recently, all packed in handy little tins, and the Harissa was one one of the spice blends that was in the collection. Other spice blends included: SHICHIMI from Japan, PIRI PIRI from Portugal, PANCH PHORAN from Bangladesh and PILAU from India. You can view the full range of new Discovery Spices from Bart’s here: The Spice Journey. I was VERY impressed with the range, which is unusual and definitely “off the beaten track” with some interesting and exciting spice blends.

Bart’s Harissa

The Harissa spice blend I used was fragrant with a mellow kick of aromatic chilli heat, and it really added to the flavour of the soup. The blend is made up of the following ingredients: Black Pepper, Coriander, Ginger, Paprika, Allspice, Cardamom, Mace, Nutmeg, Turmeric, Cayenne, Cloves, Rose Petals (1%). In place of the Bart spice blend that I used, you could of course add ground cumin and coriander for an authentic North African taste, or even a spoon of harissa paste for some additional heat. Do try this soup recipe if you are following a diet, 145 calories is such a low amount for such a nourishing bowl of goodness. That’s all for today, see you soon and have a GREAT week ahead! Karen

Bart Spices

Disclaimer: I received a selection of Bart spices from their new Discovery range to test for review; all views and opinions are my own.

This delicious Moroccan inspired soup-cum-stew is packed with flavour and is very filling. It is a very low 145 calories per serving, making it an ideal meal for anyone one following the 5:2 diet or Weight Watchers. The recipe was adapted from a recipe by a friend.

Ingredients

1 onion, peeled and finely diced (40 calories)

2 sticks of celery, trimmed and finely chopped (12 calories)

2 carrots, peeled and diced (50 calories)

1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes (75 calories)

1 x 400g tin of chickpeas, drained (380 calories)

600mls vegetable stock (20 calories)

1/2 lemon, juice of (5 calories)

1 1/2 teaspoons Bart's Harissa spice mix (8 calories)

fresh coriander or parsley for garnish

Note

This delicious Moroccan inspired soup-cum-stew is packed with flavour and is very filling. It is a very low 145 calories per serving, making it an ideal meal for anyone one following the 5:2 diet or Weight Watchers. The recipe was adapted from a recipe by a friend here: Moroccan Chickpea Soup.

Directions

Step 1

Put a tablespoon of the vegetable stock into a large saucepan and fry the onion, celery and carrots gently for 10 minutes until softened, stirring frequently.

Step 2

Add the remaining ingredients, except the coriander and/or parsley, stir well and put a lid on the pan, then simmer for 8 to 10 minutes over a low heat.

Step 3

Adjust the seasoning and serve in warmed bowls with fresh coriander and/parsley as a garnish and hot flat breads or pitta breads.

Comments

This is a hearty bowl of soup with amazing flavours. I’ve only tried harissa as a paste and not a spice mix so will definitely keep an eye out for them when I next go to the shops. I would also like to try some of their other spice blends, especially the shichimi which I have recently starting adding to my grilled chicken.

Karen you really do take the best photos. However humble the dish, it always looks so enticing. Not that I have anything against humble, that’s pretty much what I eat and what I enjoy. A good spice mix can really make a dish. I’m a big fan.

Hi Karen, I was brought to your lovely website from Mumsnet. I’ve just made a batch of your tomato and garlic soup. The spoonful I tasted before freezing was YUM. My question is this: do you think this potage would freeze well? I’m never sure about freezing pulses. Thanks so much.
Kate

Saints alive. That was good! Had a brain bypass when I went looking for Bart’s spices …….. I live in Australia….. So no Bart’s here. Had to go down the paste route. Thanks again, another 10 out of 10 for me.

Meet Karen

Bienvenue! I'm Karen; it’s lovely to see you here. I share my time between beautiful North Yorkshire and SW France. I am a freelance writer and recipe developer with a passion for art, travel, books, photography, seasonal food and especially cheese! Please do get in contact with me if you have any questions about my work or commissioning me. Read More…